A U.S. Coast Guard riverine boat crew patrolling the Texas-Mexico border came under fire from suspected Mexican cartel forces on Saturday, sparking an immediate tactical response from federal forces. The Guardsmen returned fire and successfully suppressed the threat, sustaining no injuries during the unprovoked cross-border attack.
In a statement from U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Commander Rachel Ault, Breitbart Texas learned that a Coast Guard marine crew patrolling on the Rio Grande in a small boat near Garceno, Texas, on September 26 received gunfire from the Mexican side of the border. The Coast Guardsmen were working in conjunction with federal partners, presumably U.S. Border Patrol agents, when the gunfire erupted from the Mexican side of the border river.
The crew was conducting joint interdiction operations alongside federal partners, including U.S. Border Patrol agents, along the Tamaulipas border sector when the shooting erupted.
“No injuries to Coast Guard or other personnel were reported, and no damage to Coast Guard assets or equipment was reported,” Commander Ault reported, adding that federal authorities take all threats against military and law enforcement personnel extremely seriously and that the investigation remains active.
Sources say the Coast Guard crew operating a riverine craft sustained an unprovoked attack while conducting a routine patrol of the Rio Grande.
NewsNation national correspondent Ali Bradley first reported the shooting incident and planned military deployment, which immediately drew scrutiny via social media community notes on X.com.
A Department of Homeland Security source familiar with the operational response told Breitbart Texas that U.S. Army troops previously assigned to West Texas border operations are expected to deploy to the Rio Grande Valley. The move serves as a direct force-protection countermeasure following the attack on U.S. forces, with troops expected to remain staged in the RGV sector for at least 30 days. The exact size and duration of the unit deployment remain undisclosed for operational security reasons.
An official statement from DHS states:
The Coast Guard works closely with U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of War and the Texas Military Division to secure the border, disrupt illicit activity and protect the American people. We will continue to leverage a layered, integrated approach to control, secure, and defend the border that strengthens our collective ability to counter illicit activity and safeguard our personnel and the communities we serve.
Breitbart Texas contacted the Department of War Joint Task Force Southern Border for details on the unit’s size and mission parameters, but officials did not respond prior to publication.
Gunfire from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande is not uncommon. Breitbart Texas’s Brandon Darby reported in June 2014 about U.S. law enforcement officers receiving gunfire near Rincon Village, just south of Mission, Texas. The shots were reportedly fired with the intent to harass Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens deployed by then Governor Rick Perry to help secure the border.
Approximately two years later, Breitbart’s Ildefonso Ortiz reported that a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper and a U.S. Border Patrol agent were shot by a stray bullet fired on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande near Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas. The trooper sustained a gunshot wound to his leg, and the agent was unharmed thanks to his protective gear.
More recently, Mexican cartel terrorists opened fire on Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector who were conducting aerial surveillance operations.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.